1960s 'Shag' an innocent road movie

MOVIE REVIEW

Despite the misleading title, "Shag" is not an "Austin Powers" prequel.

The 1989 flick follows four best friends on a memorable getaway weekend in 1963.

Bridget Fonda stars as Melaina, beauty queen and sexpot. Pudge, played by Annabeth Gish, by contrast, lacks confidence and experience with boys. Page Hannah plays Luanne, a senator's daughter and mother of the group.

Melaina, Pudge and Luanne whisk sweet and conventional Carson, played by Phoebe Cates, away for a weekend of fun before she gets married and the other girls leave for college.

The girls tell their parents they plan to journey to Fort Sumter to brush up on Southern history. Instead, they head to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to sunbathe, meet boys, go to parties and dance.

The title "Shag" refers to a Southern style of swing dancing. Confederate flags and hearty "ya'lls" also help set the Dixie scene.

The most memorable Southern pride moment occurs when Melaina dramatically interprets "Gone with the Wind" as her talent for the Miss Sun Queen Pageant.

Luanne attempts to persuade her to wear a traditional hoop skirt:

"What would Scarlett O'Hara think if you did 'As God as My Witness' in a bikini?!"

While Melaina takes the spotlight, her friends encounter adventures of their own. Even the levelheaded Carson discovers fun in cavorting around with a new boy.

"I'm wild! -- I am way out of control," she says after cheating on her fiance.

Even Luanne's maid says, "Ya'll is the horniest bunch of white folks I ever seen!"

However, "Shag's" PG-rating and 1960s setting prevent the girls' rendezvous from getting too risque.

Phrases like "holy pajamas," "the bee's knees" and "what a sweet potato!" round out the characters' vocabulary.

"Shag" takes you away from today's world of cell phones and Starbucks to a time where kids roller-skated and hung out at the local diner. Even without modern technology, these girls manage to build memories that last a lifetime.

The girls certainly are ahead of their time. They defy authority and take their futures into their own hands. "Shag" shows that girls just want to have fun and friends are forever.

As the school year comes to a close, "Shag" is the perfect feel- good film to get you in the mood for summer. As these Southern belles would say, this film is "the most fun."